Story:Operation Sentinel
Operation Sentinel is a mission that Galiana and Sol I Dor undertook during the events of the Dark Prophecy story arc (Myth Galaxy). Chapter 1: Wollstonecraft "So this mission? What exactly does it involve again?" Galiana asked. "The GSSOC has agreed to provide support in a joint operation with the Delson Fleet," Ckeros began, "Some of our intelligence units have brought us reports that Harvesters plan to attack the human refugee camp on the planet Moritz in the Wollstonecraft system, Crab Nebula." "Wollstonecraft? That's a Gaean name...isn't it?" Galiana replied. Sol I Dor replied, "After the KMF and the EIT rescued a human population from Gaea during a major Harbinger invasion, we allowed some to set up refuge in charted system within our territory. A few Ashadrans are there as well." "Ashadrans?” Galiana gasped. Distant, unwanted memories of her youth filled her mind. A blazing inferno surrounding her as voices cried out in terror and agony. Her parents. Her friends. Her family. Torched by the Harvesters. “Galiana!” Sol I Dor called out. “Huh?” Galiana snapped out. “I’m sorry. I...er…” she didn’t want to explain. She would rather not give in to her thoughts and emotions, so she brushed them off. “I just got distracted.” "Yes...Looks like the Harvesters are coming to finish the job," Ckeros said. "Why would the Galactic Senate be taking an interest in a human world?" Sol I Dor inquired. “This is very unlike them.” "Because," Ckeros said, "should Moritz be lost to the Harvesters, there will be distrust between humans and Delsons for their lack of protection. It’s in our best interest to minimize the internal struggles of our allies. Your mission is to prove that human worlds can be protected easily by the more powerful empires." "Wait, so you are questioning the Delsons ability to defend our systems?" Sol I Dor asked frustratingly. "It is hardwired into our brains to protect others." "Then I’m sure you understand why we’re sending you on this mission," Ckeros said. “As members of the Galactic Senate, we are obligated to assist one another in times of need. Admitting that need is just as crucial of a task.” "Then we better get going!" Galiana said. "Let’s take the Drenzer!" Promptly, the two of them gathered their belongings and went to Sol I Dor and Galiana's ship, the Drenzer, which was waiting in the hangar. They stepped aboard and took off into the sky leaving Ilion. Chapter 2: New Ingolstadt Several days later, the Drenzer had quickly dropped out of FTL. The white glowing star Wollstonecraft shined in the distance while the green and blue planet Moritz was visible below with the silver moon Beaufort in the distance. Some Delson fleets were already positioned to defend the colony from the predicted Harvester invasion. "This is the Drenzer," Sol I Dor said. "Requesting permission to land." "Drenzer, this is Airstrip One. Permission granted." The Drenzer began its atmosphere entry towards the planet below. Only moments later, they landed and the two of them stepped out. An orange sunset filled the sky, and the air was rather clammy and humid to Galiana's standards. The pressure was high, but at the same time, she felt energized because the oxygen levels were much higher than she was used to. Galiana had put on a waterproof coat around her combat attire - the rain poured down, and the sky flashed red with lightning. Only a few seconds after the flashes, thunder echoed in the distance. Sol I Dor was not quite used to this type of weather either. On his own world, there were no jungles, nor did it ever rain. "Reminds me a bit of Timari," she replied. "But a lot less thunder." "After all, this is a human world," Sol I Dor said. Trudging through the pouring rain and puddles, they came to a chain of rectangular white houses with triangular, brown roofs. A holographic sign flickered on and off reading, "Welcome to New Ingolstadt". The automatic door slid open and they were finally shielded from the downpour. Inside, a human officer in his late 30s was inside working behind a desk at a computer. In front of them was a long hallway, and to the right was a lounge with a few books on the shelves. To their direct right was a set of stairs leading upwards and to their left was an elevator. Sol I Dor and Galiana awkwardly stood there waiting for the officer to notice them. "Excuse me?" Sol I Dor said. Then, the officer perked up finally taking notice. "Who are you two supposed to be? There's hardly anything to see in this swampy backwater of a planet." "We were sent in the name of the Galactic Senate to defend this colony," Galiana replied "Well, gee," the officer complained. "I expected an army. Maybe even a platoon. But just when that high and mighty Galactic Senate starts to care about us humans, they just spit in our face by sending us a mere two soldiers." "We are more than just two soldiers!" Galiana said. "I'm the human representative for GSSOC, and this is my father, also a highly skilled warrior." "Yeah, so? We still have no say in galactic politics. I mean, look at us humans. We've been trashed and separated, and we've barely got anything left, but a few meager little worlds that nobody cares about. Forced off our homeworld Gaea by those Harbingers. Hell, even our cosmic twin Ashadra bit the dust by the Harvesters. Damn aliens trying to kill us! I get them mixed up from time to time." "We defeated the Harbingers at least," Sol I Dor said. "They posed a threat to the whole galaxy, not just the human worlds." "Harbingers? Harvesters? I don't care. They're both aliens trying to wipe out humanity." "Are you done yet?" Sol I Dor replied rather frustratingly. "Just tell us where you'll need us." "Alright then," the officer said. "I've ranted enough. The original plan was for the ground forces to make sure the area around the Byron River was secured. But it's only you two against an army." "We can handle it," Galiana replied. "I'm sure of it." "Yeah...I'll believe it when I see it. And if you do manage to hold the line, your Delson Reaper drones should hopefully take care of the rest...if the colony is still around by then." Chapter 3: Hideous memories Galiana and Sol I Dor went back outside in the pouring rain, picking up some combat supplies in the Drenzer. They made their way to the edge of the airstrip and found an electrical fence. Auto-turrets dotted the area along the fence which would fire upon low flying Harvester ships. They had passed through a nearby gate and now were outside New Ingolstadt in the Godwin Swamp. A gushing river flowed nearby - tall green stalk-like trees cluttered the swamp. The chirping of alien insects echoed across the swamp accompanying the sound of rain. The stalk eyes of Mudcrawlers perked out of the water on the lookout for predators. A few Swampstriders were skidding across the surface, snapping at fish within their grasp. The serene atmosphere almost made the two of them forget that the Harvesters were about to invade. Sol I Dor readied his armblades and Galiana readied her swords. The all too familiar ominous buzzing of Harvester vessels within the atmosphere echoed. Another familiar sound - that of Delson ships - was heard immediately followed by the exchange of kinetic weaponry. Her arms visibly trembled. Not because she was facing an enemy. No, this was just all too familiar. “Galiana! Stay focused!” Sol I Dor barked. “...Er, right!” The battle had moved within the planet's atmosphere. But shortly after, metallic pods began raining down from the sky, landing on the opposite side of the river. Out of the pods emerged hideous creatures appearing as if they were strung together crudely from the parts of many different aliens. The Harvesters had come. Being separated by a river, they had to rely on ranged combat. Galiana and Sol I Dor took cover behind some of the swamp trees and streams of plasma bolts flew at them. The Harvesters kept pushing forward trudging through the river. "Are you ready, Galiana?" Sol I Dor said. "Yeah." Peeking out of cover, Galiana fired her pistol while Sol I Dor kept shooting out acid spit. They took out a few Harvesters, their corpses being washed away by the river, yet they kept advancing forward. A single Harvester came dashing towards them, and Galiana took the opportunity to drive her swords through them. As powerful as these monsters were, they were not exactly the brightest of creatures - at least the drones. Sol I Dor managed to harness some of his psychic energy to cause some more Harvesters to lose their footing while crossing through the river, getting them washed away. "Gah, I need to get closer," Galiana said. "I can't keep fighting at a distance like this." "Wait!" Sol I Dor shouted as Galiana broke from her cover and charged to the side of the Harvester approach, entering the river balancing on some rocks. As she got closer, she got a glimpse at the hideous visage of the creature's themselves. These were the same beings that burned her home planet, Ashadra. The same things that held her captive for years. As the memories came rushing back to her once more, she was stunned with fear and started to lose her footing. Trying to regain her balance, she leapt to another rock, but it was covered in sleek, almost frictionless moss. She slipped, and the undercurrent swept her away. "GALIANA!" Sol I Dor shouted as he mashed another Harvester with his mace-tail. "Dammit, I won’t lose you a second time!" Chapter 4: Fearless, therefore powerful A tranquil bog with a several slimy creatures was soon disturbed by a human surfacing up and gasping for air. She was covered in bruises and cuts from being tossed around, being scraped. Being swept away in a river was never a good feeling - she had felt helpless and the unrivaled force of coursing water had dragged her underneath. Nonetheless, she was alive. Soon enough, she paddled her way to the muddy shoreline, then pulled herself up, drenched and covered in mud. Though the air was warm, the pouring rain was not - it was frigid even in the humid air. Nonetheless, she gathered in strength, trying to figure out where exactly she was relative to the Harvester platoon. She checked for her communicator, but it was gone. Probably somewhere lost in the river. But from what she remembered about the planet's geography, the swamp she landed in was much closer to the city than where the Harvesters had landed. Her first instinct was to find where the river was that had washed her down here in the first place. The swamp she had washed up in was massive, covered in trees. She had been underwater the whole time, so she followed the swamp's muddy coastline, the rain continuing to pour down, the insect analogues singing. As she briskly walked along the swamp's coast, a Sephalo emerged from the murky water, hoisting itself upwards with its tentacles. The creature took a hostile, territorial stance, waving its tentacles around. Galiana readied her blade, slowly backing away - one bite from this creature was fatal. The Sephalo made its move - jumping towards her, but Galiana jumped back. The standoff continued. Soon enough, the rain started coming down even harder, and the area around her flashed with white. Moments later, the roar of thunder echoed across the swamp. Not good. And with that, the Sephalo dove underwater, fleeing the scene. On Ashadra or Timari, thunderstorms were not a big deal, but she read in the mission briefing that on Moritz, thunderstorms were deadly - the higher concentration of oxygen made fires far more common than either Timari or Ashadra. Not long after, a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, setting it aflame. The rain was not enough to douse it out, and it spread. A relentless inferno threatened her life once more. There was no time to lose. She had to get out of there. But perhaps the fire could be used to her advantage - a diversion from the Harvester attack. She sprinted for her life as the fire devoured the forest. ---- Sol I Dor, hearing the lightning bolt, turned behind him. Through his psionic infrared and electric vision, he could see residual charge from the bolt, and also saw the intense heat of fire rushing down the river. The Harvesters had to divert their forces, going back across the river to find another entry point. Sol I Dor remained on the other side, still trying to communicate with Galiana somehow. First, he attempted to use his telepathy to at least sense for her mind. His only hope was that she was still conscious for him to detect. Soon enough, Sol I Dor detected an individual among the fire. Galiana was located. Judging by her brain waves, he could tell that she was exhausted, hiding behind some sort of object. A boulder perhaps, but the fire was all around her. That moment, Sol I Dor's own instincts took over. While he could have tracked down where the Harvesters were going, he felt compelled to rendezvous with his daughter. Sol I Dor sprinted parallel to the river, brushing through the forest foliage. The heat intensified as he stopped. Before him, the only thing his psionic vision detected was flames. He was losing track of his daughter's location. The interference was increasing. Chapter 5: Protecting the colony Galiana was gasping for air as the heat intensified. Looking up, she spotted a figure dashing towards her, avoiding falling, flaming trees. "Galiana!" it shouted. "Father?" Sol I Dor quickly helped Galiana back on her feet. The duo made one last sprint away. As they were dashing at top speed, the rain started to pour down harder, fighting off the flames. Soon enough, the flames subsided leaving a smoldering landscape of ash behind them. "Are you alright? I was worried," Sol I Dor said. "I'm fine. Where's the Harvesters?" Galiana replied casually. "They’re taking an alternative route. They are redirecting their forces." Soon enough, the two of them heard the echo of turrets and gunfire in the distance. Harvester ships were looming in the distance releasing globs of plasma that plummeted into the city below. Smoke rose to the skies as the ominous airraid alarm sounded off. An unsettling hi-pitched sound that swayed in pitch. A sound that Galiana never liked. The same sound she recalled all those years ago back on Ashadra. More of those memories came flooding back to her. No, that’s enough. No time to wallow in misery. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Let the oxygen flow through and energize you. With their lungs full of the planet’s saturated oxygen, the two of them sprinted towards the city as if flying. The Harvesters were ahead of them. Eventually, they took an alternate entrance and found themselves in the middle of the colony. A small militia of human soldiers were hiding behind sandbags, trying to fight off the creatures with outdated firearms from the late 20th century. Yet, the Harvesters closed in, overwhelming them. The two could see that the Harvesters weren't killing the soldiers. They were abducting them - the ultimate fate of Galiana's own people. Sol I Dor quickly met with a nearby human sergeant who was behind an armored HUMVEE with a turret on top. "How are you holding up?' he asked. "What does it look like?" the sergeant replied. "We need air support! Now!" "It's coming. We need to hold the line a little longer!" A Harvester ship was overhead. Plummeting from it a tungsten rod. "Get down!" he shouted as he shoved the sergeant out of the way. The object slammed into the vehicle destroying it and sending shrapnel into the air. And with that, a cry of pain following shortly after. "Galiana, are you..." Sol I Dor shouted. Then, she noted her face. A deep incision just under her left eye, from a piece of shrapnel slicing through. Were it an inch above, she would have gone blind in that eye "Just a scratch..." Galiana interrupted him. Blood seeped out more and more, but she was adapting a fighting stance anyway. “Galiana, get that thing fixed!” Sol I Dor shouted. Galiana initially ignored him, about to continue the battle. “That’s an order!” “Err...right!” Galiana replied, promptly obeying her father. She took cover behind a nearby boulder and reached into her med-pak for something. No bandages. They were swept up in the undercurrent earlier, so she improvised. She tore off a large piece of her left sleeve and used it to apply pressure to the wound. Then used the remaining portions to secure it in place. That’ll do for now. As the Harvester ships continued bombing the colony, a supersonic tone echoed across the skies. Delson Reaper drones had arrived slamming into the Harvester ships. Soon, they plummeted to the ground up like large flaming asteroids. The two of them immediately made a run for it along with the other human soldiers as the large ship slammed right into the heart of the colony, crumbling apart. The Harvesters immediately retreated back into the swamp, and the pouring rain quickly extinguishing the flames. Examining the wreckage, they found a dying Harvester sandwiched in between some metallic debris. Galiana raised her sword, about to stab it and put it out of its misery but paused to hear its last words. "Filthy...humans..." it shouted with its final breath. "We...will...end you..." And its life faded away. Galiana was tempted to spit at it, but no. That went against the Delson Code. Respect your enemies in battle. As hideous as the creature was, it was still a living, breathing entity. She walked away, leaving the corpse to the cleanup crew. Chapter 6: Back at the bunker Another few days passed to travel back to the Bunker. Galiana and Sol I Dor promptly arrived inside to be greeted by Ckeros and the rest of GSSOC. A proper bandage having since replaced Galiana’s torn rags over her eye. "Wounded in action, I see..." Ahrganot said. “Happens to the best of us.” “I know,” she replied. “Now I have a new scar…” “There's Karnasaur tech to get rid of it, you know,” Etah added. “Just need some medical nanobots to remove and replace the scarred tissue and-” “I think I’ll keep it,” Galiana interrupted. “Just as a reminder of this battle.” Etah stood mildly surprised. “Are you sure about that?” “Actually,” Tholker said to Galiana. “It’ll make you look more badass.” The girl couldn’t help but laugh a little. “No seriously, it will.” “Thanks, Tholker,” she said. The first compliment that he ever gave her. Or maybe he was playing? Whatever. She got a good feeling from it.. Etah replied, "Nonetheless, you've done well, Galiana. Just don’t take this as an excuse to slack off. I’m sure that the most difficult challenges are still ahead." Category:Articles by User:Krayfish Category:Articles by User:IceBite Category:Stories